A lighthouse in Vietnam Blog: By Jess Andrenelli

Navigation

Category Archives: wine events

Post navigation

A wine lover’s dream. Hanoi has a vibrant wine scene and here’s my list of some favorite bars and restaurants with great choices in wine and tasting notes. Whether it’s pairing wine with Vietnamese and Mediterranean food, or a glass of wine with friends at sunset overlooking Hanoi’s lakes, here are some of the best spots. The most amazing bottle of wine you have ever tasted might just be the next one, so never stop searching and never stop drinking. Cheers!

My Top Favourites

La Badiane Hanoi has many restaurants that celebrate the Vietnamese-French culture so If you want to know the definition of “real French” in the middle of Hanoi, go to La Badiane. A Fusion of local and regional ingredients blended into classical French cooking. A great selection of wines, my favourites here are the Beaujolais and Premier Cru from Joseph Drouhin and the Spanish Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro with (Sweet dark cherry overlying pure red fruit with appealing wood smoke and blackberry set among grippy tannins) The restaurant setting is elegant and you’re welcome to pass by for wine and an aperitif. The restaurant delivers interesting tasting menus, including one designed with the most discerning gourmands in mind. La Badiane’s vegetarian menu is as sophisticated as its Dégustation Menu: a four course feast, with authentic flavors, which will convert you into a lover of the French cuisine.

Avalon Cafe Lounge Refreshments with a view. First I love their amazing roof top terrace with views over the lake, this is one of my favourite spots to relax with friends over a glass of wine and some very delicious snacks. You can eat here too and they have good Vietnamese & Western cuisine. Their selection of wine is varied, I would like to recommend the Pascal Jolivet blanc from the Loire Valley and Spanish Hecula red wine with (plum, fig, berriesintense balsamic aromas) The lounge bar is open all day, till late and a glass of chilled wine on the roof top late afternoon is magical. If you like, top off the experience with a snack to go along with your drinks. Both their Vietnamese and Western dishes are prepared creatively with the freshest ingredients. Then sit back and enjoy the view of the lake while the sun goes down and the city lights start illuminating the night skies.

Salmonoid Elegant fusion cuisine: There’s a new aroma and a new concept in town and it’s called Salmonoid. The idea is to create a wide range of fusion cuisines all based on salmon. Located in a beautiful villa with terraces and balconies which are filled with exotic palms sets the mood for Wine & Fine dining. A really great selection of wines, my choices would be Chateau Haut Selve, Graves with (Morello cherry, cedar, vanilla toast and black fruit notes) paired with the Grilled lamb-rack & Salmon with ginger sauce or with the Grilled beef & Salmon on potatoe puree. Also try the delicious Salmon Symphony with a chilled white wine.

Au Lac House: I love sitting here at sunset on the villa veranda with it’s majestic columns, the black and white tiled floor and the wooden shutters surounded by shady trees it feels like stepping back in time, it’s wonderfully French-Vietnamese, and to have in my hand a glass of Chateau Paveil or Pessac Leognan. The beauty of this villa with its great selection of French wines to pair with the delicious Vietnamese cuisine on offer makes this a wonderful spot for lunch or dinner. Though I love just passing an hour or two here drinking some seriously good wine. Don’t be fooled by the French name though – the restaurant specializes in traditional Vietnamese cuisine, serving all-time favorites such as fresh and fried spring rolls, and more extravagant dishes, like roasted duck in mandarin sauce.

Sunset Bar at InterContinental Hanoi Westlake. Champagne and sunsets : In a super location with a large terrace overlooking the lake, this is the place to sit and enjoy Hanoi’s amazing sunsets. With large cane and bamboo sofas and shady gazebos it doesn’t get more luxurious than this and if you feel like splurging they have a really good choice of different sparkling wines to enjoy such as Champagne, Prosecco, Cava and Cremant. This is the go to wine spot in Hanoi as they host a Vinoteca event each month with seriously good wine. They also have red & white wines imported from famous wineries around the world.

Vine Restaurant & Wine Bar Worldly wines & innovative plates. Located in the buzzing restaurant and bar area of Tay Ho, this has to be one of my favourite wine bars in Hanoi. They have a superb selection of wines, the decor has a luxurious ‘wine cellar’ style and if you’re looking for something special this is the place. I enjoyed a Turriga Isola Dei Nuraghi 2003 with two years aging in French barriques, Turriga has notes of Mediterranean herbs, roasted coffee, spices, and licorice with a generous core of black and red fruit.) they also have a good range of Tiganello and South African wines from the Winery of Good Hope. I’ll just add they have friendly staff and really good metierranean cuisine.

Local Bar Wines in a party atmosphere, 16 Ta Hien Hoan Kiem. Aimed at a younger generation of wine lovers, this party place serves wines such as light Italian roses and crisp French Sauvignon Blancs. If you are feeling adventurous and want to go for something out of the ordinary, test their signature wine cocktails. Drop by with your friends in the evening and dance the night away to their cool tunes or come by during the day and sit and chill. The wines on offer change each week as choices are aimed at good value for your ‘dong’. Local Bar is in the old quarter and has those cute Vietnamese cafe chairs and tables outside the bar where you can sit and watch the ever changing panorama of the French quarter.

Come and join us at Business Thursdays this month, taking place at Sunset Bar, Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake. This is a great opportunity to network, meet foreign and local business executives, exchange business information and news, and introduce your company’s products and services. We are looking forward to a fun networking evening in a great location at Intercontinental Westlake over a glass of wine by Daloc Wines.

Business Thursdays Hanoi is jointly organised by the British Business Group in Vietnam (BBGV), the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (CCIFV) and the German Business Association in Vietnam (GBA). We looking forward to seeing you all again and welcoming new faces.

The cover charge of VND 150,000 includes wine & buffet. For more information visit BBGV web site bbvg.org or Facebook Business Thursdays page.

Ruffino Chianti: Chianti DOCG occupies a special place in the heart and history of Ruffino. When Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino founded the winery in 1877, the first wine they produced was a Chianti. In keeping with tradition, Chianti DOCG features a distinct Florentine bottle reminiscent of the fiasco, the straw-dressed flask in which Chianti was originally bottled. Known as a Tuscan red: 70% Sangiovese, blended with varietals Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Tasting Notes: This medium-bodied, well-balanced wine is approachable and aromatic, with classic Chianti aromas of violet and wonderful cherry fruit flavors. It finishes with spicy hints of wild cherry and hazelnut. It retains these fresh and fruity flavors since it receives no wood ageing.

ACCLAIM
Best Buy – 2011 Vintage
World Value Wine Challenge

Gold Medal – 2011 Vintage
Sommelier Challenge

Food Pairing: Pair this Chianti DOCG with a variety of traditional Italian dishes like ravioli and tomato-based pasta sauces, such as the Tuscan slow-simmered Ragù. Pizza is another favorite pairing especially the Margherita and a personal favourite meat pairing is Bistecca alla Fiorentina and beef carpaccio. Cheeses such as Mozzarella, Parmesan Reggiano, Pecorino and Ricotta will be simply perfect. Its brightness and acidity also makes it a great companion for some Vietnamese cuisine such as the strong salty meat dishes and spicy pork dishes that are heavy on the garlic.

This wine is Imported by DaLoc wines and you can find this wine in Hanoi’s finest restaurants and as Wine of the month at Il mediterraneo restaurant in Hanoi. A great wine that you can really enjoy with great Italian food.

Enjoy a 20 hour slow smoked sucklin’ pig and side dishes with a free pasteur street beer or a chilled glass of Gris d’Ardèche rose on our stunning terrace overlooking the lake.

Sit back, cool down and enjoy our favourite day of the week with mouth watering food, cold beer and relaxing beats every Sunday at The Fat Pig.

At 74 Quang An Tay Ho Hanoi: A delightful bar & grill, on Sundays offering a special event With Da Loc Wines, not just delicious food but a special offer on Pasteur Street Craft Beer and Gris d’Ardèche – Grenache – Rose Wine… Plus Great Music and Great Atmosphere…

Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday at 5pm, at 27 Xuan Dieu Tay Ho for a tasting of Georges Duboeuf Crus of Beaujolais!
Plus come and enjoy a 20% discount on these wines until the next Thursday.

Georges Duboeuf Crus is a worldwide distinguished pioneer in Beaujolais.

Fleurie is one of the ten crus of Beaujolais and one of the most sought after. Georges Duboeuf is one of the best known winemakers in this region to the south of Burgundy, and has been nicknamed the King of Beaujolais.

Taste
Classic Fleurie with fresh cherry fruits and a fragrant, floral perfume. Concentrated fruit and light tannic presence are testament to the cru status of this wine. An attractive wine with a silky texture.

We are pleased to invite you to our next Wine & Dine event on the Friday 15th of May.

Our Chef “Benjamin Rascalou” has designed for this special occasion a 6-course fine-dining menu including 3 starters, a roasted camembert and a selection of chocolate delicacies for the final touch. The master piece, a marinated Australian Prime be
f Tenderloin in 5 peppers, will be served for main.

Each course will be paired by a different wine from “Gerard Bertrand”, one of the most renowned wine maker of South-West France, including their famous and excellent “Cigalus” and “l’Hospitalitas” (See tasting notes attached).
To know more about Gerard Bertrand, please visit is website: http://www.gerard-bertrand.com/en

Come to enjoy yourself with a delightful and unique epicurean experience at La Badiane for only 2,100,000VND / person. (Please be informed, the number of guests is limited to 25 so we highly encourage you to book as soon as possible if you would like to join us)

On this, the fifth edition of Malbec World Day, more than 70 events will take place in 64 cities of 50 countries around the world to pay tribute to Argentina’s flagship grape variety. Malbec World Day (April 17) celebrations, held by the Wines of Argentina organization, will take place on Friday, April 10, in the predio ferial El Dorrego (Dorrego 1850 between Honduras and Guatemala). Visitors of the Dionysian celebration can expect wine tastings, gastronomic pairings and wine counsel.

This year is to be of particular import, as vintners will be collaborating with local directorial talent to screen three short films demonstrative of Argentine culture and spirit. Chosen by the Wines of Argentina organization, the films are to work in tandem with wine samplings to capture the nation’s seductive essence. The fair is aptly titled “Lights, Camera, Malbec.”

For those unfortunately outside of this beautiful Malbec oasis of a country, further events are taking place in a myriad of cities, including New York, Toronto, São Paulo & VIETNAM HANOI…

FABULOUS ITALIAN OPERA ACCOMPANIED BY GREAT ITALIAN CUISINE AND WINE: This is a one off event.

Irene Favro, Soprano. With Maggio Musicale Fiorentino she performed as Berta in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia (D’Agostini/Michieletto, 2010), Serpina in Pergolesi’s La serva Padrona (Caldi/Carreres 2011), Modista in Rota’s Il cappello di paglia (Alapont/Cigni and in 2013 conducted by Battistoni), Nella in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (D’Espinosa/De Carlo 2012) and Cupido in Offenbach’s Orfeo all’Inferno (Xu Zhong/Carniti 2013).
Other roles she has already debuted: Frasquita in Carmen (Mariotti/Žagars) with Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore (Franklin/Crivelli) with Carlo Felice in Genoa, second woman in Purcell’s Dido and Enea (2013) with Teatro Filarmonico in Verona (Montanari/Bianchi); paggio in Rigoletto (Frizza/Guerra) for the Festival del Centenario Areniano.
Recently she performed as Frasquita (Carmen) at the Arena di Verona for the New Millenium Festival 2014 (Nanasi-Kovatchev/Zeffirelli).
At Opera Quingdao (China) she performed as Musetta in La Bohème (2011) and Gilda in Rigoletto (2012).

Camillo Facchino, Tenor. He first debuted atThe Arts Center Seoul Korea; nel 2004 and in 2006 at New York with “Un Concerto Pugliese” in 2007 he won the 58° edition AsLiCo (Young European opera singers) He toured from Lombardo (Cremona, Pavia, Brescia) and after Bologna with the opera Lucia di Lammermoor. In 2009 he debuted in the role of Ernesto in Don Pasquale a Bari, and at il Festival Verdi 2010 he performed Manfredo in I Vespri Siciliani di G. Verdi at the Teatro Regio di Parma. In 2011 at il Teatro Politeama Greco di Lecce and il Teatro Comunale “M. del Monaco” di Treviso) he performed with the ‘stagione lirica della Fondazione lirico sinfonica del Teatro Petruzzelli’; In the same year he performed ’ Opera Ireland di Dublino Macbeth di G. Verdi. Recently he debuted in Rigoletto at il Teatro Statale di Opera e Balletti “M.I. Glinka” di Magnitogorsk in Russia) e for il Festival musica e danza di Taormina, performing in the “Requiem mass” di G.Verdi.

Paolo Fiamingo, Pianist. Paolo Fiamingo after graduating with honors from the Conservatory of Turin he studied piano with Vincenzo Vitale and conducting with Julius Kalmar. He has given concerts throughout Europe, the United States, China and Japan, in halls such as the Teatro Regio in Turin, the Athenaeum in Bucharest, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Auditorium Nacional in Madrid, the Kioi Hall in Tokyo .It conducted the Philharmonic of Bacau and Craiova (Romania), the “Free Chamber Orchestra” in Tokyo, the “Qingdao Symphony Orchestra” (China) and in theaters such as the Teatro Regio in Parma, the Ponchielli of Cremona, the Mitaka Arts Center in Tokyo. He collaborated with the RAI Turin, the Theatre “G. Verdi” of Trieste and the NCPA in Beijing. From the 2011 season he is a repeat performer at the Arena di Verona and music director dell’OSAI and professor at the Conservatory of Turin.

Visit the Facebook event below

Spring is in THE ARIA
Saturday, March 21 at 8:00pm in UTC+07
Mediterraneo Italian Restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam